The American Legacy
Metropolitan Playhouse
The American Legacy
220 East Fourth Street ~ New York, New York 10009
(212) 995 8410
A 2007 Company of the Year ~ nytheatre.com
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Family Fare 2013:
The
Ugly Duckling
 (a new ballet)
The story of The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen takes wing through tuneful music and fanciful dance – even a bit of puppetry!
Performed en pointe in vivid, colorful costumes, Andersen's tale of glorious transformation unfolds in an award winning, air conditioned theater to a score by Michael Kosch, Scenic Design by Rifka Milder, and Lighting Design by Christopher Weston. The cast features both adult and professional child dancers.

The Ugly Duckling features an ensemble of dancers ranging in ages 6 through 26. Some cast members return from past seasons of Family Fare at Metropolitan having appeared in the Kosch's The Festival of the Vegetables. Starring: Giulia D’Antoni, Michaela Doran, Charlotte Ghigliazza, Eva Giannini, Izzy Hanson-Johnston, Liza Loube, Vera Paganin, Lily Eugenia Rudd, Margaux Vasilescu, & Zhiwei Zha.

Written in 1843, The Ugly Duckling has been a classic in the canon of stories Americans have grown up with for generations. This production for families is by a familial artistic team and brings together choreographer Rachael Kosch, her husband, composer Michael Kosch, and her sister, painter Rifka Milder.

We follow the sad cygnet through the trials and troubles of a full year of seasonal change and encounters with strange animal and human characters to his ultimate ascension.

"Andersen first conceived the story in 1842 while enjoying the beauty of nature during his stay at the country estate of Bregentved, and lavished a year's worth of attention upon it. He initially considered 'The Young Swans' as the tale's title but, not wanting to spoil the element of surprise in the protagonist’s transformation, discarded it for 'The Ugly Duckling'. He later confessed that the story was 'a reflection of my own life', and, when the critic Georg Brandes questioned Andersen about whether he would write his autobiography, the poet claimed that it had already been written — 'The Ugly Duckling'." – Elias Bredsdorff  Hans Christian Andersen: The Story of His Life and Work 1805 - 1875. Phaidon 1975, as quoted in Wikipedia